An Indian-American Woman in Space : Kalpana Chawla is a fourth chapter from Class 6 book, Honeysuckle. It is a real life based story about an Indian born woman, Kalpana Chawla, who was the first woman from India who went to space in 1997. She was a part of team, international crew aboard the U.S Space Shuttle, Columbia. Painfully, her second mission in Columbia ended in tragedy.
An Indian American Woman in Space : Kalpana Chawla Story
Summary of An Indian American Woman in Space Class 6
A Space Shuttle is a spacecraft unlike rocket which can be used to go to space repeated times. A Space shuttle can be used several times to travel from Earth to space and space to earth.
The story of “An Indian Woman in Space” begins with Kalpana Chawla who said that she never thought in her dreams, a girl born in Karnal would go to the space. It was enough that her parents allowed her to study in Engineering college after schooling from Tagore School.
After doing Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, she went to America for Master Degree against her parents decision. Afterwards, she earned her PH.D in Aeronautical Engineering.
Kalpana Chawla was first Indian born American woman who became Astronaut and blast off from the launchpad, Canaveral, Florida. She participated in Successful mission of Space. After the success of the mission, her parents celebrated with the staff of Kennedy Space Center.
Kalpana Chawla was born in city of Haryana in Karnal. Later on, she became U.S Citizen by marrying, Jean-Pierre Harrison, a flight instructor. That is why Kalpana is called Indian-American woman. Apart from being an Astronaut, she was given the license to fly single and multi-engine land airplanes.
She was certified flight instructor. After becoming pilot, she started researching on a new challenge, she apply for NASA’s space shuttle program and she was hired as Research Scientist in NASA.
In 1994, she was chosen by NASA team for training as an Astronaut. One day, when Kalpana was asked, what it is to be woman in her field, she replied that she never thought that she will pursue her studies and whenever I used to do something, I did not think that I am a woman. I had a dream like others which I want to achieve and I achieved them. The people around me always encouraged me that if you want to do it, go forward and do it.
Kalpana’s first mission in space was 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes long. During that time, she goes around Earth for 2525 times and travelled 10.45 million kilometers. In the space mission, a Japanese and Ukrainian astronaut was also the part of the team.
The Space shuttle team performed several tests on Space. On the Saturday night, when the news of Columbia disaster broke, it was very shocking and nobody believed it at first as everyone was in trauma. That day Karnal’s people lost their sleep as everyone was in a hope that maybe Kalpana and her team members has survived and are alive. Thereafter, everyone learn that Kalpana Chawla is no more with us.
A Journalist wrote : –
Kalpana Chawla was heroine, it is really-really hard to become an Astronaut, to be an Astronaut you must know about biology to astrophysics to aeronautical engineering. It takes lots of hard work and dedication to become Aeronaut. Kalpana Chawla was truly a legend.
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